Recently called-up lefthander J.A. Happ held the Cardinals scoreless through six innings while lefthander Mark Mulder, who hasn’t won a game in 25 months and two shoulder operations, lasted 16 pitches, 2 walks and 1 strikeout in his comeback start before leaving with more pain in his shoulder.  With the game tied at 2 in the eighth, 1st baseman Ryan Howard and 3rd baseman Pedro Felix each solo homered as the Phillies topped St. Louis by a 4-2 score.

With the win, the NL East leading Phillies remained 1 1/2 games up over the Florida Marlins and Mets are tied for 2nd place and who both won.  4th place Atlanta lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers and dropped to 6 games off of the pace.

Happ looked solid through six innings, although hitters reached on him in each of the first five innings, 2 on in the first and fifth innings.  He retired the Cardinals in order in the sixth, his final full inning.

Mulder, however, lasted 16 pitches in the first inning having struck out shortstop Jimmy Rollins before walking centerfielder Shane Victorino and 2nd baseman Chase Utley and then leaving with what Cards said was left shoulder discomfort.  Starter/reliever Brad Thompson, who was pressed into emergency service to replace Mulder, got Ryan Howard to ground into an inning-ending double-play. 

Thompson pitched 4 1/3 innings getting into and out of a 2 on, 1 out jam in the fourth inning before getting tagged with the first 2 Phillies runs in the fifth. 

Catcher Carlos Ruiz opened the fifth with a single to rightfield.  After Happ struck out attempting to bunt, Rollins drove in the 1st run with a triple to right centerfield.  Victorino then grounded into a fielder’s choice with Rollins tagged out at home.  Thompson then walked Utley and Howard followed with an RBI single to rightfield for the Phillies 2nd run.  Reliever Russ Springer took over for Thompson and fanned leftfielder Pat Burrell to end the inning.

Happ, who had cruised through the first six innings, began the the seventh inning by retiring pinch hitter 2nd baseman Brendan Ryan on a flyball before running into trouble.

A single and a ground-rule double put runners on 2nd and 3rd chasing Happ.  Reliever Chad Durbin took over and walked rightfielder Ryan Ludwick to load the bases.  1st baseman Albert Pujols drove in the 1st Cardinals run with a sacrifice fly to leftfield.  3rd baseman Troy Glaus followed with a single to centerfield to tie the score at 2-2 with both runs being charged to Happ.  Centerfielder Rick Ankiel was intentionally walked re-loading the bases.  But Durbin recorded a strikeout to retire the side.

Happ gave up 2 runs on 5 hits while walking 4 and striking out 5 in his 6 1/3 innings work.

He left to a standing ovation with two runners on and one out in his third major league start.  AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston notes Happs’ reaction upon leaving the game in the seventh for Yahoo sports;

He left to a standing ovation with two runners on and one out in his third major league start.

“That was probably the best experience of my life right there,” Happ said. “That’s something I’ll never forget.”

In the eighth inning, after reliever Clay Condrey struck out the Cardinals’ side on 14 pitches to be credited with the win, the Phillies sewed up the game as Howard led off with a solo homer off of reliever Kyle McClellan and Feliz socked a 2 out insurance solo shot off of Chris Perez. McClellan was charged with the loss.

In the ninth, closer Brad Lidge found himself facing his old nemesis, Albert Pujols.   AP’s Gelston recalls;

Lidge—whose fall as an elite closer in Houston is often pinned on a mammoth home run he gave up to Albert Pujols during the 2005 NLCS—faced the Cardinals slugger again with a runner on.

This time, Lidge retired Pujols on a fly to right and then struck out Rick Ankiel with two runners on to earn his 20th save in as many chances.

For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Wednesday’s games, click here.

In Thursday’s final, yet another Phillies lefthander, veteran 45 year old  Jamie Moyer faces Braden Looper.

The Arizona Diamondbacks follow the Cards in to play a weekend series before the All Star break.  In Friday’s opener, Kyle Kendrick aims for his 9th win vs 32 year old lefthander Doug Davis. 

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Thursday’s games, click here.

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When a team goes through a stretch like the Phillies have since June 10 (9-17) and their offense, which lit up late on Monday against the Mets burns itself out trying unsuccessfully to recover from a 9 run deficit, just as they burned out after beating the Cards on June 13 by a 20-2 score, its discouraging to write about.  It is all the more discouraging when a fine outing by ace lefthander Cole Hamels goes to naught when a dead offense is shut out 2-0 by marginal pitching.

In losing, the NL East leading Phillies saw their lead remain at 1 1/2 games as 2nd place Florida was pounded by the San Diego Padres. The Mets shut out San Francisco to jump into a 2nd place tie with the Marlins.  4th place  Atlanta, who pounded the Los Angeles Dodgers, picked up a game and are now 5 games off of the pace.

For the month of June through to July 7, the Phils have been shut out 3 times.  They were shut out only 3 times through the entire 2007 season.  During the 9-17 stretch between June 10 and July 7, the Phils have been held to 2 or less runs in 10 of their 17 losses.

Hamels made just 2 mistakes in an otherwise flawless, but hard-luck losing performance. He retired 12 of the first 13 hitters he faced through four innings before centerfielder Rick Ankiel led off the fifth inning with a solo shot, his 19th, to left centerfield to put the Cards on the board.  It was only second hit given up by Hamels who retired the next 5 hitters he faced before rightfielder Ryan Ludwick went yard in the sixth for his 18th homer of the season.

Meanwhile, the Phils managed to get runners on in six of the innings only to see them rubbed out 3 times on doubleplays and once on a pickoff at 1st base by starter Joel Pineiro. 

Winning pitcher Pineiro left the game in the seventh inning with a 2 on, 1 out situation.  Lefthanded reliever Ron Villone replaced Pineiro and got pinch hitter Chris Coste to ground into a 3rd-to-2nd-to-1st doubleplay to end the inning.  Pineiro threw 93 pitches giving up 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 3 in 6 1/3 innings of work.

The Cards bullpen permitted just 1 Phillie to reach in the final 2 2/3 innings as former Phillie  Ryan Franklin pitched the ninth inning to notch his 12th save in 14 chances.

Hamels was lifted for a pinch hitter in the Phillies’ seventh and relievers  Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge held the Cards the rest of the way.   Hamels, who threw 100 pitches, gave up 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 8.

AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi summed up the Phillies’ reaction to the loss for Yahoo sports;

“It’s frustrating because Cole threw well,” Phillies slugger Ryan Howard said. “He did his job. We have to find ways to manufacture runs.”

For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Tuesday’s games, click here.

On Wednesday, 26 year old recently called-up lefthander J.A. Happ faces another lefthander, soon-to-be 31 year old Mark Mulder as the Phillies try to revive their offense.  In Thursday’s final, yet another Phillies lefthander, veteran 45 year old Jamie Moyer faces Braden Looper.

The Arizona Diamondbacks follow the Cards in to play a weekend series before the All Star break.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Wednesday’s games, click here.

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Trailing the Mets 10-1 going into the home sixth, the Phillies scored 8 runs over the final four innings, including 3 homers.  But they saw their 2 out, 2 run ninth inning rally against closer Billy Wagner fall short as rightfielder  Jayson Werth flied out as the Mets held on by a thread to win by a 10-9 score. 

In losing, the NL East leading Phillies saw their lead over 2nd place Florida shrink to 1 1/2 games over the Marlins who edged the San Diego Padres.  The 3rd place Mets picked up another game with the win and now trail the Phils by 2 1/2 games.  4th place Atlanta, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Hiroki Kuroda’s complete game 1 hit sut out, remained 6 games off of the pace.

The Mets pounded starter and losing pitcher Adam Eaton for 8 runs on 10 hits through 2 2/3 innings, his earliest exit of 2008 and reminiscent of Eaton at his 6.27 ERA 2007 worst.  For the play-by-play coverage of the game, click here.

Reliever Clay Condrey took over for Eaton retiring the side in third and holding the Mets scoreless on 2 hits in the fourth and fifth innings.

Recently called up lefthanded reliever R.J. Swindle replaced Condrey and pitched the sixth through the eighth innings.  He was greeted in the sixth by 3rd baseman David Wright’s lead-off leftfield homer and coughed up Pedro Martinez’s RBI single to center later in the inning for the Mets’ 10th run.  Swindle retired the next 6 Mets in a row in the seventh and eighth innings.  Wright had 2 hits and 4 RBIs for the game.

Meanwhile, Mets starter Pedro Martinez labored while holding the Phillies to 1 run, a fourth inning solo shot by 2nd baseman Chase Utley (his 25th), through 5 innings before being chased with 1 out in the sixth on leftfielder  Pat Burrell’s solo homer (his 22nd) followed by a double to right center by 3rd baseman Greg Dobbs.  Tony Armas replaced Martinez and struck out rightfielder Werth and catcher Chris Coste to end the inning.  Carrying a big 10-1 lead into the sixth inning, Martinez, who threw 105 pitches through 5 1/3 innings and helped his own cause with a sixth inning RBI single, was credited with his 3rd win vs 2 losses. 

Armas would then be pounded for 3 runs in the seventh inning as shortstop Jimmy Rollins singled with 1 out, took second on Armas’ wild pitch and scored on centerfielder Shane Victorino’s RBI double to rightfield. With two out, Ryan Howard pounded a 2 run shot, his 24th HR, to rightfield chasing Armas.  10-5 Mets.  Howard’s shot was originally called a ground-rule double when a fan reached over the rightfield fence and touched the ball.  However, the umpires reversed their call noting that ”the ball would have left the park had the fan not interfered.”

Reliever Aaron Heilman entered to strike out Burrell to end the seventh.  But Heilman would not get away unscathed in the eighth inning as pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins pounded a 2 out, 2 run homer to draw the Phils closer at 10-7. Heilman finished off the eighth by striking out Rollins.

Lefthanded reliever http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6363 J.C. Romero made short work of the Mets in the ninth and the Phils, hoping for a series split, came to bat trying hard to produce bottom of the ninth heroics against closer Wagner.

The AP report for Yahoo sports describes the Phillies ninth;

The Mets had a 10-7 lead heading into the ninth, but Wagner, who blew a save in the Mets’ win Sunday, gave up a two-out RBI single to Pedro Feliz, scoring Shane Victorino. [late game 2nd base replacement] Eric Bruntlett, who had walked, also came around to score on a throwing error by center fielder Carlos Beltran. Jayson Werth hit a soft liner to right, ending the comeback and giving Wagner his 20th save in 26 opportunities.

“You can never let down with this team,” Wagner said. “They make you earn it.”

For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Monday’s games, click here.

On Tuesday, St. Louis follows the Mets into Citizen’s Bank Park for a 3 game series.

In Tuesday’s opener, ace lefthander Cole Hamels is opposed by soon-to-be 30 year old Joel Pineiro.  On Wednesday, 26 year old recently called-up lefthander J.A. Happ faces another lefthander, soon-to-be 31 year old  Mark Mulder.  In Thursday’s final, yet another Phillies lefthander, veteran 45 year old Jamie Moyer faces Braden Looper.

The Arizona Diamondbacks follow the Cards in to play a weekend series before the All Star break.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Tuesday’s games, click here.

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The rains came in the Phillies eighth inning with 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd base and 1st baseman Ryan Howard facing lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano with the Mets holding a 1-0 lead.  2 1/2 hours later, Howard fanned, Aaron Heilman walked leftfielder Pat Burrell to load the bases but 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz grounded weakly to the pitcher to end the inning.  So it goes with a slumbering Phillies offense in losing 4-2 in twelve innings.

In losing, the NL East leading Phillies lead over 2nd place Florida shrunk to 2 1/2 games ahead of  who pounded the Colorado Rockies.  The 3rd place Mets picked up another game with the win and now trail the Phils by 3 1/2 games.  4th place Atlanta, who beat the Houston Astros in 17 innings, now trail by 6 games.

Living in a different timezone, I went to sleep as the rains came with Howard at the plate, hoping to awaken to a drastic change in score after the delay.   It was not to be.  Sure, the Mets added a rare run against closer Brad Lidge in the ninth and sure, outfielder Jayson Werth, who played all 3 positions, hit a dramatic ninth inning 2 out, 2 run homer off of closer Billy Wagner to tie the game.   But veteran outfielder Fernando Tatis, who was out of baseball for 2 seasons and is 9 years removed from the 31 homer season (the only full and consistent season of his career). solved reliever Chad Durbin for the to end the marathon of nearly seven hours (including the rain delay)  with 1 out and 1 on in the twelfth after Durbin walked the lead-off hitter.  The blow which made Durbin the losing pitcher was in his second inning of work and marked only the 2nd dinger that he’s given up this season in 50 innings of pitching.  He struck out the next 2 hitters to end the inning.

The Mets got on the board in the third inning on centerfielder Carlos Beltran’s 2 out solo shot off of starter Kyle Kendrick to rightfield.  The lead held as Kendrick and lefthander Oliver Perez dueled. 

Perez left after 7 innings having thrown 110 pitches giving up 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 6.  Kendrick tossed 112 pitches giving up 1 run on 8 hits walking 3 and striking out 2.

Then came the marathon of relievers and the rain delay in the Phillies’ eighth. 

Afterwards, Feliciano got Howard on strikes but the Phils still had life.  Heilman walked Burrell but all Feliz could manage was a grounder which Heilman gladly swallowed up for the final out.

Beltran added the Mets 2nd run on an RBI single driving in shortstop Jose Reyes who led off against Lidge with a single, stole 2nd and was sacrificed to 3rd.

Centerfielder Shane Victorino opened the Phillies’ ninth by singlingt to center.  There he sat for 2 outs until Werth’s blast off of Wagner to tie the game and give Phillies fans a moment to cheer.

Madson and Durbin had little trouble getting through the tenth and eleventh innings while the Phillies threatened with two 2 out singles in the 10th but the runner sat stranded as catcher Carlos Ruiz grounded out to end the inning.

Then came the fateful twelfth inning Tatis’ game winner off of Durbin.
The Phils showed some life in their half as shortstop Jimmy Rollins led off the Phils’ twelfth by singling to left and stealing 2nd base.

Reliever Joe Smith, who pitched the last 2 1/3 innings for the Mets allowing only Rollin’s single, got Howard to fly out and got 2 ground outs to be credited with the win.

For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Sunday’s games, click here.

In Monday’s final, Adam Eaton, who possesses a fine lifetime record against the opposes Pedro Martinez as the Phils hope to wake up the offense to at least salvage a split for the series.

There’s no rest for the weary as the potent St. Louis Cardinals follow the Mets into Citizen’s Bank Park on Tuesday for a 3 game series.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Monday’s games, click here.

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In a classic case of a tight game turned ugly, the Phillies and Jayson Werth unknotted a 3-3 tie with a 2 out RBI single in the seventh inning.  But then the Mets scored 3 runs each in the eighth and ninth off of  J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon and Rudy Seanez to win the second game of the series going away by a 9-4 score.

Despite the loss, the NL East leading Phillies remained 3 1/2 games ahead of 2nd place Florida who were pounded by the Colorado Rockies.  The 3rd place Mets picked up a game with the win and now trail the Phils by 4 1/2 games.  Atlanta, who lost to the Houston Astros, remain 7 games back in 4th place.

Shortstop Jose Reyes and rightfielder Ryan Church each singled to open the game off of veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer, with Reyes going from 1st to 3rd on the hit.  Reyes scored the Mets’ 1st run as 3rd baseman David Wright grounded into a double play shortstop-to-second-to-first.

In the fourth inning, Wright doubled to centerfield with one out and stole 3rd base.  Centerfielder Carlos Beltran was walked and stole 2nd base.  With 1 out, 2nd baseman Damion Easley followed with a 2 run RBI single to centerfield and the Mets were up by 3-0.

Meanwhile, John Maine had sailed through the Phillies lineup retiring 10 in a row.  But with 1 out in the fourth inning, centerfielder Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch and then promptly stole 2nd base.  Maine then walked Chase Utley before 1st baseman Ryan Howard got the 1st Phillies hit, his 23rd homer of the season to tie the game.  Howard has 1 less homer than Utley who holds the MLB homer lead with 24.  The big slugger holds the RBIs lead in the NL with 76.  Maine then got rightfielder Pat Burrell on strikes and Pedro Feliz on a grounder to shortstop to end the inning.

The game stayed tied through six innings.  Maine left the game complaining of cramps in his left glove hand with 2 outs in the sixth inning having thrown 104 pitches and given up 3 runs on only 1 hit while walking 2, hitting a batsman and striking out 5.  Reliever Aaron Heilman took over and got the final out of the inning, striking out Howard. 

Moyer got into 2nd and 3rd trouble with 2 outs in the seventh and was replaced by reliever Ryan Madson who got David Wright to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.  Moyer went 6 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits while walking 2 and striking out 4.

Reliever Joe Smith replaced Heilman to open the seventh.  With runners on 1st and 2nd base with 2 out, Jerry Manuel and Charlie Manuel played chess.  Charlie sent lefthanded pinch hitter Greg Dobbs to bat for Madson, whereupon Jerry Manuel went to lefthanded Pedro Feliciano.  In turn, Charlie sent righthanded hitting Jayson Werth to pinch hit for Dobbs.
It appeared the Charlie won the chess match as Werth stroked an RBI single to left and the Phils held a 4-3 lead.  Werth was caught trying to take 2nd base on the play’s throw home ending the inning. 

But the Phillies’ lead didn’t last long as, in the final analysis, Charlie won the strategy battle, but Jerry Manuel won the game as the Mets roughed up Romero, Gordon and Seanez for 3 runs each in the eighth and ninth innings to end the Phillies’ four-game winning streak.

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston describes the late innings for Yahoo sports;

Pinch-hitter Brian Schneider lined a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning… with two outs. He was the Mets’ third pinch-hitter of the inning as they overcame a 4-3 deficit.

Damion Easley, who had three hits, singled with one out in the Mets eighth and Carlos Delgado followed with a single. Gordon threw a wild pitch that made it 4-all, pinch-hitter  Marlon Anderson walked and pinch-hitter Endy Chavez grounded out, moving the runners to second and third.

Schneider batted for Feliciano and doubled to right-center. The NL East-leading Phillies were booed off the field at the end of the inning.

The Mets earned some payback after blowing the game in the ninth on Friday.

There was a 14-minute rain delay in the top of the ninth. The Mets scored three times, capped by an RBI single from Chavez.

“Our bullpen’s done an outstanding job for us. It’s why we are where we are,” Moyer said. “The effort was there, we just fell short. Our bullpen’s been a big plus for me.”

Just not on this night.

Feliciano, who gave up the temporary lead run on Werth’s single, recorded his 1st win vs 2 losses for 1/3 inning’s work.  Romero was tagged with his 2nd loss vs 4 wins and Gordon was charged with a blown save.  Seanez was plundered for 3 runs on 4 hits while pitching 2/3rds of the ninth inning.  Clay Condrey came on to get the final out in the Mets’ ninth. 

Phillies’ bats went silent late, although they managed to get 2 on against reliever Duaner Sanchez, but to no avail.  Tony Armas went 3 up, 3 down putting the lights out on the Phils in the ninth.

For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Saturday’s games, click here.

In Sunday’s 3rd game, Kyle Kendrick goes for his 9th win vs 3 losses vs lefthander Oliver Perez (6-5).  In Monday’s final, Adam Eaton opposes  Pedro Martinez.

The St. Louis Cardinals follow the Mets into Citizen’s Bank Park on Tuesday for a 3 game series.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Sunday’s and Monday’s games,  click here and here.

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Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino followed 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz’s 2 out ninth inning double by lacing a walk-off RBI single to rightfield off of Mets reliever Duaner Sanchez, in relief of Johan Santana, as the Phillies edged the Mets by a 3-2 score in their series opener on Friday night.

With the win, the Phillies extended their lead over 2nd place Florida to 3 1/2 games Marlins lost in a slugfest to the Colorado Rockies.  The Mets, in losing dropped to 5 games back and the Atlanta Braves remained 7 back as they beat the Houston Astros.

26 year old lefthander J.A. Happ, called up to fill the roster spot of Brett Myers who was demoted to the minors to work on his delivery and velocity, got the starting call in the end and handled the Mets well for four innings before getting into a fifth inning jam giving up a single, a ground-rule double and a walk with none out.  After getting starter Johan Santana to foul out, and getting shortstop Jose Reyes ground into a fielders choice which drove in a run and left runners at 1st and 3rd, Happ walked rightfielder Endy Chavez to reload the bases and then walked 3rd baseman David Wright to force in the 2nd Mets run.  

Happ threw 96 pitches giving up 2 runs on 3 hits while walking 4 and striking out 3 in 4 2/3 innings.

Manager Manuel went to reliever Chad Durbin who put on as excellent a relief exhibition as one would ever want to see.  He struck out centerfielder Carlos Beltran to end the fifth, leavingf 3 Mets stranded. Then he retired the next 6 hitters he faced, 5 of them on strikes through the seventh inning showing yet again how he has become an indispensible cog in the Phils’ bullpen.

Meanwhile, Santana sailed along through five innings, only allowing 2 Phils to reach, both on singles.   In the sixth, Santana ran into trouble as both rightfielder Jayson Werth and 2nd baseman Chase Utley both singled with one out.  After shortstop Jimmy Rollins flied out to centerfield, both 1st baseman Ryan Howard and leftfielder Pat Burrell drove in runs with singles to leftfield to knot the game at 2-2.

Reliever Ryan Madson replaced Durbin to pitch the eighth inning and held the Mets to 1 hit while Santana retired the Phillies in order in the bottom of the eighth.

Closer Brad Lidge came on to pitch the ninth and retired the Mets in order on 5 pitches to earn his 2nd win to go along with 19 saves in 19 opportunities.

Sanchez came on for Santana in the ninth as the lefthander gave up 2 runs on 6 hits, walking none and striking out 6 before the “Flyin’ Hawaiian’s winning hit.  AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi recounts the inning for Yahoo sports;

Sanchez (3-1) retired the first two batters [striking out Howard and Burrell] before Pedro Feliz doubled to left field. Victorino followed with a liner to right on a 1-2 pitch to score Feliz and send a sellout crowd into a frenzy.

The dugout emptied quickly and swarmed Victorino.

The NL East-leading Phillies have won four straight after losing 13 of 18. 

Manuel juggled his starting lineup so left-handed hitters Utley and Howard wouldn’t bat back-to-back against the Mets’ lefty-rich staff. Utley moved up to the No. 2 spot with Rollins going from leadoff to No. 3 and Howard stayed in the cleanup slot.

For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Friday’s games, click here.

On Saturday, veteran 45 year old lefthander Jamie Moyer, with a 7-6 seasonal mark, is opposed by John Maine with an 8-6 mark.  In Sunday’s final Kyle Kendrick goes for his 9th win vs 3 losses vs lefthander Oliver Perez (6-5).

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Saturday’s and Sunday’s games,  click here and here.

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